


Another One

by JeMiChi



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Bloody Injuries, Castellan restraints, Chiss, Dismemberment, Explosion, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Imperial Agent Storyline Spoilers, Medical Procedures, Mind Control, Odessen, Oni/Lonis/Yal'oni'sodrasi, Ossus, Rescue Missions, Shaku/Kres'hak'ufsa, Shamyrah, Shamyrah is married to Corso, Ship Crash, Zabrak, but it's not the focus of this story, injuries, keyword abuse, minor spoilers from the expansions, smuggler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:49:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28860588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeMiChi/pseuds/JeMiChi
Summary: Shamyrah is a caring space mom and can't ignore someone in need of help - even if that someone tries to kill her. Becoming the Alliance Commander has given her the opportunity to help more people. And Oni is by her side on this mission to save someone in desperate need of help.





	Another One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SamiraHeaven93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamiraHeaven93/gifts).



The shuttle had been hit badly by enemy fire and the pilot was attempting an emergency landing on the planet surface, but the enemies were relentless. 

”Cursed Republic,” one of the men hissed while trying to aim the weapons at the attackers. It was no use, the system was fried and wouldn't respond, just like nearly everything else on the ship. The shuttle was designed for transport rather than combat and now it was about to cost them their lives. 

In some other place they might have had hope for backup, for another ship to come to their rescue, but this was Ossus and whoever was sent here was forgotten. There would be no help coming and their distress calls would be ignored.  
However, the mountains were just ahead of them and if they managed to land behind them, they might just have enough time to evacuate and hide before the pursuers reached them. 

The young Chiss recruit Shaku was counting meters, half relying on the data displayed on the monitor, half by what he could see from the viewports himself. 

”There it is,” the pilot announced as the narrow valley between the two mountains came into view. ”We are -” 

Before he was able to finish what he was saying there was a thundering crash that sent the entire crew sprawled on the floor. The cockpit was filled with the howling of wind from the air rushing inside from a gigantic hole right where the pilot had been. There was no sign of the man now, and through the hole they could see a new ship had joined the pursuit and attempting to take them down. The shuttle was already spiraling towards the mountain and a crash seemed inevitable. 

One of the men cursed loudly in a foreign language. 

Just then the Chiss noticed that the engine of the ship was on fire. His eyes widened in terror as he realized it was about to explode any second now. 

”Run!” 

There was no time to explain, but from the urgency in his voice the others must have realized what was happening as they quickly rushed as far away from him as they could possibly get inside the shuttle. 

In an instant it dawned on the Chiss that he wouldn't make it. The earlier attack had sent him flying - along with some heavy machinery, and now his leg was trapped under a pile of rubble. He struggled to pull his leg free even when he could hear the hull of the shuttle give in to the heat right below him. Then a blinding flash of light filled his vision as everything around him abruptly exploded. Then there was darkness. Darkness and silence. 

***** 

Shamyrah felt at home on Ossus. Even if the soil had been ruined by the war, the farm communities felt nostalgic and the ancient ruins on the planet had caught her interest. It wasn't exactly a vacation and there were people who needed help, but while she was assisting the Jedi on the planet, she couldn't help but admire the view. 

Of course the war was still raging and she had to be careful.  
As the alliance leader, her face was now well known almost anywhere in the Galaxy and Ossus had a lot of imperials who wouldn't hesitate to shoot her on sight, or worse. Loyal imperials, she would have thought earlier, but now she wasn't so sure. 

Oni had insisted on joining her on this mission, but he was walking by her side with an unreadable expression on his face, and Shamyrah could have sworn he was even more quiet than usual. She couldn't blame him. While there were a lot of imperials on the planet, nearly half of them were Chiss operatives. People just like Oni. At least how he had been before he defected. Shamyrah knew what the Empire had done to Oni and could guess he was wondering just how similar all these agents were to him. She looked at the Chiss, but didn't say anything. Words weren't needed. 

Just then a loud crash interrupted their silent trek through the valley. The two looked at each other when a cloud of smoke erupted from somewhere just around a corner. If they ran, they'd reach the crash site in less than ten minutes. 

”Let's go,” Oni said and started running as Shamyrah followed him to see what had happened. 

***** 

The explosion had sent the shuttle up and while the ship had still crashed soon after, the blow had slowed down the fall just enough for five of the imperials to survive the impact with only minor injuries. Three others hadn't been as lucky and their lifeless corpses lied scattered on the ground around the remains of the now burning shuttle. Three others, and the Chiss who had been closest to the explosion. 

The alien was lying in a pool of blood. The explosion had sent him flying several meters, tearing off his leg, the one that had been stuck inside the pile of rubble, so only shredded flesh remained in its place. And the shrapnel had torn through cloth and armor, cutting deep wounds to his blue skin all over his body. 

To the surprise of the others the Chiss groaned in pain and managed to push himself up on his elbows. His face was covered in bleeding wounds that were nearly as red as his eyes that were now looking around with a pained expression. 

”I can't believe he actually survived that,” one of the others whispered. 

”Chiss really are something else, huh,” another agreed while getting back to his feet slowly. 

”I doubt he'll live much longer though,” he added without bothering to lower his voice. 

The Chiss in question turned to look at them with desperation and fear in his eyes. 

”It... hurts...” he managed. ”Help..!” 

Just then the ship that had attacked them earlier appeared above them and started descending towards the crash site. 

”Shit! Why couldn't they just think we'd all died! If they spot us here, we are all done for!” one of the men yelled. 

”Calm down,” another soothed while raising his hand to silence the others. The rank insignia on his uniform identified him as their commander. 

He walked calmly towards the Chiss and lowered himself on one knee by his side. He helped the injured man up so he could sit leaning against a rock. The Chiss groaned in pain as the remains of his destroyed leg made contact with the ground, but he looked at the officer with a grateful expression. 

”Thank... you...” he said quietly. 

The other man's expression hardened. 

”Listen carefully. You don't have much time left so you will stay here and buy the rest of us time to escape.” 

The eyes of the Chiss widened in fear as the meaning of the words struck him. 

”N-no...” he stuttered. ”Don't... Don't leave me!” 

The officer turned his back on the Chiss and got up. 

”Keyword: Onomatophobia,” he said flatly. 

The Chiss froze in place, his mouth still open to speak but unable to say a word as all-consuming pain filled his head and even drowned out the pain from his injuries. He would have screamed, but suddenly his body refused to obey him. 

The officer gave him one last, freezing cold look and tossed his blaster in front of the Chiss. 

”You will stay here and fight the enemies until the end. Goodbye.” 

And then he was gone, followed by the four other imperials who vanished into the wilderness, leaving the dying Chiss alone by the wreckage. 

***** 

The first thing Shamyrah spotted was a republic battleship. The ship had just landed, if the clouds of dust still dancing around it were of any indication. But it wasn't the source of the smoke. Oni's eyes were focused on something further away and as Shamyrah squinted her eyes to see what he was looking at, she could see the outlines of an imperial transport shuttle among the rocks. But it was almost engulfed in flames and smoke so it was hard to tell for sure. 

”I'll go talk to these guys,” she told Oni and nodded towards the republic ship. ”You should probably stay here and keep an eye on that until I return,” she suggested. 

”Agreed. They probably won't like my face there,” Oni said with a casual shrug, but Shamyrah could tell he was feeling anxious. 

”I'll be back soon,” she promised. 

Just as she reached the entrance of the ship, a man came out. The two stared at each other for a tense second before the look on the man's face brightened. 

”If it isn't the alliance commander herself! I wasn't expecting to meet you here,” he commented cheerfully. ”I'd invite you for a drink, but I'm on duty right now,” he chuckled. 

”That wreck, right?” Shamyrah nodded towards the crash site. 

”That's right! Nothing gets past you, just as I've heard.” 

”Do you think there might be survivors?” she inquired. 

”From a crash like that? I doubt it,” the man said, shrugging. ”But orders are orders, and we need to make sure.” 

”The truth is, I was on my way to investigate the crash myself.” 

”Really? If you don't mind doing that, it would really save me and the boys from some trouble,” the man said thoughtfully. ”But I couldn't possibly ask you to...” 

Shamyrah shrugged in turn. 

”It's nothing, I was planning to study this area for some artifacts anyway, so I don't mind checking out the crash while I'm at it.” 

The man seemed genuinely relieved. Most people were reluctant to do this type of clean up jobs so it was common to push them on others. 

”I'll leave that in your capable hands then,” the man said, bowing his head slightly. ”Just don't forget to report your findings to the Republic too. That is, if you find anything.” He winked at her and waved his hand before returning to his ship. 

Shamyrah made her way back to Oni as the republic ship returned to patrol the sky. 

”Any movement?” She asked when she reached the Chiss. 

”Impossible to tell from this distance,” the Chiss admitted. 

”I thought so. We need to get closer,” Shamyrah agreed and the two started approaching the crash site carefully in the rocky terrain. 

***** 

Shaku could hear someone or something moving closer somewhere behind the rocks just outside of his view. He was feeling dazed from the loss of blood and whatever had happened to him when the other imperials left and he wondered if the sound was from an enemy. But the enemy ship had unexpectedly left. So it had to be his crew coming back for him. He wanted to call out to them to let them know he was still there, but once again his body failed to obey him and he was unable to make a sound. The loss of control confused him, but maybe it was somehow caused by his injuries. It was getting hard to think so he wasn't sure if that made any sense or not. 

Abruptly the sound stopped and a Zabrak's face appeared from behind the rocks. Before he realized what he was doing, Shaku had the blaster in his hand and fired. The Zabrak managed to duck out of the way and vanished behind the rocks again. 

”We aren't here to hurt you,” a female voice called out and one green eye reappeared to peer at him. 

In an instant he fired the blaster, once again without even thinking about it, and the Zabrak hid behind the rock. 

Shaku stared at the spot where she had been in shock. He hadn't even wanted to shoot her, so why had his body reacted so fast..? He was desperate enough to believe her and beg for help, but instead he found himself fighting the newcomer like his life depended on it. And the confusion was just making his headache worse and worse. 

***** 

”Clearly they aren't all dead,” Shamyrah noted as she returned to the cover of the boulder where Oni was hiding. ”I could only see one though, and he's in bad shape.” 

”Fast reflexes by the looks of it,” Oni said thoughtfully. 

”Yeah. And I think he's a Chiss, but it was hard to tell from all the blood.” 

Oni nodded in response, but there was a distant look in his eyes. 

”You think he might be..?” Shamyrah started, knowing the Chiss would catch her meaning. 

”I can't say for sure, but that's possible,” Oni said quietly. ”The rest of the crew may have abandoned him here as a decoy, if they survived.” 

”In that case, want to try that?” Shamyrah asked. 

Oni looked at her slightly surprised. 

”Capturing him?” 

”Yeah. Unlike those guys earlier, he can't move so we should be able to get close enough without much trouble.” 

Oni looked down. 

”Don't forget that he's still going to try to kill us, whether that's because of the keyword or not. And if he was ordered to fight us, he won't stop until he's dead. Or until he kills us.” 

”I know,” Shamyrah said calmly. ”But this is what you want to do, right?” 

Oni nodded quietly and took a deep breath before he spoke again. 

”Can you draw his attention for long enough for me to reach him?” 

”You can count on me.” 

Shamyrah smiled. She was used to this type of thing. It was Oni she was worried about. All this clearly reminded him of his own past and things he would have rather forgotten. But sharing what was likely the fate of these agents compelled him to do something to help them, if possible. This was the perfect opportunity to try. 

Shamyrah eyed the terrain around them for a moment, studying every boulder, tree and rock carefully. 

”Think you can sneak up behind him from there if I run over to those rocks on the other side?” She asked quietly while gesturing to the two routes. 

Oni followed her gaze, nodding thoughtfully. 

”If you can take his attention for three seconds I can get close enough to knock him out.” His expression grew more grim and he looked at Shamyrah with concern in his eyes. ”Are you sure you'll be alright though? It's a long way between those two boulders if you are drawing his fire...” 

Shamyrah smirked and patted Oni's shoulder reassuringly. 

”Who do you think I am? He's just one man and he's injured, I've survived worse.” 

”I know.” The expression of the Chiss was as close to a smile as Shamyrah had ever seen. ”Just don't take unnecessary risks, alright?” 

”Deal. You too, be careful over there.” 

”Going unnoticed is what I do best.” 

With that the two of them took positions on either side of the rock, preparing for their mission. 

Shamyrah picked up a stone and raised one hand slowly. Oni kept an eye on the hand as Shamyrah tossed the stone towards the trees in the direction she was planning to go. In an instant the imperial fired at the stone. Shamyrah threw her hand down and jumped up almost simultaneously, but Oni couldn't stay and watch as he was already on his way towards the closest trees that would conceal him while the other Chiss was focused on the captain. The blasterfire masked any noise the rocky terrain might cause when he dashed towards the shadows. 

When the blaster went silent, Oni dared a peek from between the branches. For a moment there was nothing and he worried the plan had ended badly, but then a figure appeared from behind the rocks and the imperial fired again. But Oni was close enough now. Moving swiftly and silently he got right behind the injured Chiss with his vibroblade ready. He pressed down the trigger to activate it. The electric zap alerted the Chiss and he turned quickly to aim his blaster at the new enemy, but it was already too late. Oni had stabbed the blade into his back and the electric shock sent him twitching to the ground, losing consciousness almost instantly. 

Shamyrah's head popped up from behind the rocks. 

”You got him?” 

She walked to them and whistled when she saw the other Chiss up close. 

”Man, he looks even worse than I thought. I hope you didn't stab him too hard.” 

Oni just glanced at her in silence and placed his weapon back inside his coat before he knelt next to the unconscious Chiss, studying his injuries carefully. 

Shamyrah sat down next to him, observing Oni as he retrieved a tourniquet from one of his pockets and tied it tightly around the bloody remains of the imperial's leg. 

”That will only slow down the bleeding, we need to get him to surgery soon or he won't survive,” Oni said grimly. ”There isn't much else we can do here.” 

”Yeah,” Shamyrah agreed. ”We'd better get him to the ship and contact doctor Lokin to let him know we are coming back to Odessen with a patient.” 

With Shamyrah's help Oni lifted the injured Chiss on his back, supporting his weight by holding his remaining leg with one hand and his arms with the other. It wasn't the most balanced way to carry someone but the Chiss was smaller than Oni and didn't weight too much.  
Even so, the way back to the ship took painfully long in the rocky terrain and both Oni and Shamyrah were exhausted when they finally reached the ship. 

Akaavi saw them arrive from the distance and came to greet them outside. She eyed the injured Chiss only for a moment and shrugged. 

”Another one.” 

It wasn't a question and there was no judgement or surprise in her voice either, it was a simple statement of a fact – something she might have expected would happen eventually. 

Shamyrah nodded. 

”We need to get him to Odessen as soon as possible. Could you tell the crew to prepare for launch?” 

”I can see that,” Akaavi commented flatly. ”But before that, did he ask for help too? Or are we helping an enemy?” 

Shamyrah only hesitated for a moment. There was no keeping secrets from the Mandalorian. 

”I don't think he could ask for help even if he wanted to...” 

”So he's one of them too?” Akaavi glanced at Oni. ”So you are telling me you abducted another imperial? Very well, I can handle that if things get out of control.” She sighed but didn't look particularly unhappy. 

”I didn't abduct Oni though,” Shamyrah protested mildly as they reached the small medbay of the ship. 

Oni nodded thoughtfully, but didn't say anything. Unlike the Chiss he was carrying on his back, he had called for help and attempted to defect to the Republic when the captain had found him. 

Akaavi just shrugged indifferently. 

”I'll tell the crew to take us to Odessen and call Lokin. I'll be right back.” 

After Akaavi vanished behind the corner, Shamyrah prepared the bed for the Chiss. 

As Oni was about to lower him on the bed, he felt the man stir awake on his back.  
Before he had time to react, the hands of the imperial had grabbed his neck, strangling him with all his strength. Oni's hands shot up to grab the wrists of the man in an attempt to free himself from his hold, at the same time letting go of his leg. As a result the Chiss tumbled on the floor, not having enough strength to hold onto Oni with his arms alone. 

”Oni! Are you alright?” 

Shamyrah was now on her knees on the floor, holding down the arms of the Chiss as best she could. 

Just then Akaavi returned to the room and was by Shamyrah's side in an instant, holding down the other arm of the Chiss, leaving the other for the captain. 

Keeping the man still was surprisingly difficult considering how severely injured he was, so they struggled a little. 

Oni rubbed his neck gingerly and took a deep breath, testing his voice. 

”I should have seen that coming.” 

Shamyrah looked at the man still trying to fight them. 

”It's alright now,” she tried. ”We aren't going to hurt you, but you need to calm down.” 

She could see something flash in the eyes of the Chiss. Confusion maybe, or regret. And fear. Oni had seen it too, if his own expression was of any indigation. 

”I don't think he can stop even if he wants to,” he said quietly. 

”I thought it might be like that,” Shamyrah agreed. 

Akaavi looked at each of them in turn. 

”In that case we have two options. First: we kill him now.” 

”We didn't bring him here just to finish him off if there's anything we can do about it,” Shamyrah protested. 

”Then you already know what must be done.” Akaavi shrugged slightly without letting her grip on the arm of the Chiss loosen. 

Shamyrah hesitated for a moment before she looked at Oni, knowing she was about to ask him to do something extremely uncomfortable. 

”You are the only one who can stop him,” she said apologetically. 

Oni took a step back, visibly reeling from the implications. 

”No...” 

”You are the only one who knows the keyword,” Shamyrah said without breaking the eye contact. ”It's going to be alright. You are only doing it to save him, to free him from this command.” 

Oni closed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying to stop his legs from trembling as the painful memories filled his mind. The thought alone made him nauseous and while it made logical sense, he'd never want to use the keyword that had been used on him for so many times. But he knew that the captain was right and the man on the floor was only getting weaker as he wasted his energy fighting them. They were running out of time. 

Oni took a deep breath, steeling himself like he had in so many undercover missions. This was just another role. It wasn't who he was, but it was something that had to be done no matter what. 

He stepped closer and looked at the man on the floor.

”Keyword...” He hesitated and turned to look away from the Chiss in shame. ”Onomatophobia.” 

In an instant the body of the Chiss went still and his eyes were staring at Oni with a blank expression. 

”Cancel previous commands,” Oni said quietly. 

”Commands terminated,” the Chiss confirmed in a monotonous voice. 

But Oni barely heard it as he had hardly managed to turn around before his knees buckled and he started throwing up on the floor. 

The Chiss on the floor looked exhausted and barely conscious. He made no attempt to attack when Shamyrah loosened her grip on his arm slowly and got up. She nodded to Akaavi and walked over to Oni, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. 

”You did what you had to. I'm really sorry you had to relive that, but you did nothing wrong.” 

Oni didn't answer or look at her. He was shivering a little and Shamyrah would have wanted to take her time to comfort him, but there were urgent matters that required her attention. She returned to the other Chiss, and lifted him on the bed with Akaavi's help. 

”What... was that..?” The Chiss asked in hoarse voice, his eyes still locked on Oni's back. 

”You don't know?” Shamyrah asked while picking up supplies from the medpac. ”Can you remember anyone using a keyword on you before?” 

The Chiss yelped in pain as Akaavi started dressing his countless wounds, putting pressure on them to limit the bleeding. Then he turned his attention to Shamyrah. 

”Keywords..?” He was silent for a moment. ”Something... Maybe just before you found me...” There was a confused frown on his wounded face as he tried to think. 

”Those are used to give you commands you can't disobey. I'm assuming that's why you kept fighting us.” 

”I... don't know...” The Chiss bit his lip in agony as Akaavi prodded at another wound. 

”We can talk about this at another time,” Shamyrah told him gently. ”I don't know that much about it myself either way, only what I've heard from Oni, so he's the one who can answer your questions.” She nodded towards the man in question. 

The gaze of the other Chiss returned to him. ”He used it...” There was no emotion in his voice, but the statement made Oni's shoulders slump in guilt. 

”He did,” Shamyrah confirmed calmly. ”But only to free you from your other commands before you'd get yourself hurt because of them.” 

The Chiss snorted tiredly at that. ”Have you seen me?” 

Shamyrah smiled sadly. 

”I know. You are already hurt enough. But you are safe here and we'll treat your wounds so just hang in there.” 

”Was that the first time?” Oni asked quietly. ”With the keyword,” he added. 

”What do you mean... 'First time'..?” The Chiss looked at him in confusion for a moment before it hit him. ”Oh...” 

Shamyrah placed her hand on the head of the Chiss gently. 

”He knows what it's like,” she explained with a hint of sadness in her voice. ”You can count on him to never use the codes against you.”

”Okay,” the Chiss said tiredly. He was barely able to think through the fog that was filling his mind and his eyelids were getting heavy. He hardly noticed the alarmed voices yelling to him or the arms trying to shake him to keep him awake when the darkness took him. 

***** 

Against their best efforts, Shamyrah and the others hadn't been able to wake up the injured Chiss and he was fading fast. The loss of blood was too much and his heart was beating only weakly when they reached Odessen. 

Oni had regained his composure and administered some painkillers and oxygen to aid the other Chiss, but the man needed more intensive care badly. 

Doctor Lokin was waiting for them in the landing area with a repulsorlift stretcher as requested and he entered the ship as soon as the ramp was opened. 

Corso was waiting in the landing area as well, bouncing anxiously on his feet until he saw Shamyrah exit the ship. 

”Thank the stars! I heard you were coming back and there was an emergency call for the doctor so I got worried,” he said and was visibly relieved to see the captain was unharmed. 

Then he spotted the stretcher that doctor Lokin was pushing out of the ship. 

”Wait, who is...” He paused when they got closer and he got a good look at the face of the man on the stretcher. ”Another one?” Unlike Akaavi, Corso sounded genuinely surprised and possibly a bit excited. At least until he saw all the blood that was seeping through the bandages and the blanket that covered the Chiss. ”Is he still..?” 

Shamyrah smiled at her husband tiredly and nodded. ”Yeah, he's alive, but just barely. That's why we had to return in such a hurry. If someone can save him, it's doctor Lokin.” 

Corso smiled. He had to agree. The Chiss was in good hands here. If someone could save him, that would be doctor Lokin. 

”Think he's going to be our son too?” 

Shamyrah smacked his head softly but smiled. 

”It's a bit too early to talk about that.” 

”Is it?” 

Just then Corso spotted Oni watching them from a distance, and somehow he seemed even more quiet than usually. The Chiss nodded a silent greeting to Corso when he noticed the man was looking at him.  
Oni was standing in the shadows and his coat was covered in what Corso could only assume was the blood of the other Chiss. 

”Okay. I think you all need some time to rest. Let's go inside, okay?” 

Corso nodded at both of them with his most reassuring smile and the two followed him inside. 

***** 

Shaku wobbled to the cantina, leaning on the crutches he had gotten from Theron. It still surprised him that the Alliance would let him move so freely, but then again, he couldn't move very fast with only one leg and probably wasn't considered a threat.  
The doctor had told him to stay still though, but that seemed to be merely for his own protection as his wounds were still healing.

Another thing that had surprised him was to see so many ex-imperials working together with republic soldiers at the base. He had heard about the Alliance, but seeing it in person was something else. 

Shaku still wasn't sure what to think about it all, but the commander and the others didn't seem to mind letting him think about it at his own pace. Either way, the fact remained that the Empire had abandoned him to die while the Alliance had saved him. He owed them his life and he'd never forget that. 

And for reasons Shaku couldn't understand the commander was treating him like he was part of her family. 

Finally Shaku spotted the man he had been looking for. Oni was the name they had called him. It was an unusual name for a Chiss, but Shaku knew better than to ask him about it. 

Shaku hadn't seen the Chiss since he had regained consciousness, but he was sure that the man could answer his questions better than anyone else. He leaned against the other crutch to wave at the man and made his way to the corner table where he was sitting.  
He could see Oni's eyes widen in surprise when he approached, but then the man nodded to him in greeting. 

”I'm really sorry,” Oni said before Shaku could say anything. 

”Huh? About what? The keyword?” Shaku asked as he plopped down on the seat, hissing quietly as the movement pulled at the stitches on his leg – or what was left of it. 

Oni gave him a puzzled look and nodded. 

Shaku sighed. 

”Don't be. I know I wouldn't be here now if you hadn't done it. I don't hold it against you or anything. I barely even remember it.”  
He shrugged and smiled a little. Clearly the other man had gone through some horrible experiences because of the keyword. Shaku couldn't say the keywords didn't bother him, but it wasn't that big a deal for him. 

”Thank you,” Oni said. ”How are you feeling?” 

Shaku laughed. ”Bored out of my mind, that doctor probably wants to keep me in bedrest for the rest of my life!” He took a more serious tone. ”They told me that doctor Oggurobb is designing a cybernetic leg for me, but it will take a while before it's done.” 

Oni looked relieved. 

”That's good. Then you'll be able to walk again. Have you thought what you want to do after that?” 

”Wondering if I'll go right back to the Empire? No need to worry about that. I don't really know what I should do after this, but I've seen how it is with the Empire and I'm not going back.” He was silent for a moment. ”I'm assuming you found out the hard way too? That was actually something I wanted to talk about.” 

”I did,” Oni confirmed. ”I wasn't doing much better than you when the captain found me. They saved my life as well. They became a family to me.” 

”Then you understand why I could never betray them.” 

Both sat deep in thought for a moment. 

”You are free though. Aren't you? From the keywords?” Shaku asked, wondering how much he should say. 

Oni sighed. ”In a way, yes. That word no longer has any control over me.” 

”Can you tell me how to do it?” 

Oni looked at the other Chiss sadly. Shaku was young, way too young. He felt sorry for him. 

”I can tell you, but I can't recommend it. Going from one trap to another is hardly ideal.” 

Shaku looked at Oni in confusion, but before he was able to ask for an explanation there was a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around he saw Shamyrah had arrived, bringing tea for all three of them. 

”I'm glad to see you are doing better,” she said happily.  
”Oni is right though. No one can blame you if you want to free yourself from the conditioning, but doing so has its own risks and might cause you problems for the rest of your life, so I want you to consider it carefully,” she warned and took a seat by the table.  
”And I can guarantee that in this base no one will ever use your conditioning against you even if someone else happened to know the keyword. I'll see to that personally.”

”I get that,” Shaku said. ”What kind of problems though? How do the keywords even work? I don't remember anything...” 

Oni gave the younger Chiss an understanding look. 

”Of course you don't remember. They wiped your memory after the procedure. It's all because of a serum that alters your brain, making you suggestible for commands. It can't be reversed, but it's possible to repeat the process and add a new keyword that only you know to replace the one you have now.” 

”Then why shouldn't I do just that?” 

”Every dose damages your brain and it takes a long time for it to be effective. Long enough to develop addiction and become dependent on the drug so you can't live without it,” Oni said darkly, making it clear he was speaking from experience. 

”Oh...” Shaku didn't know what else to say. The thought that someone had forced a drug into his system and altered his brain without him even knowing was terrifying, but he didn't want to do even more damage to his mind to escape it either. The thought was making him feel increasingly more uneasy and he didn't notice he had started shaking until Shamyrah wrapped her arms around him. 

”It's alright. As I told you, we won't let that happen to you. You are safe here,” she assured gently. ”If you want to,” she added, making sure the other understood that he was allowed to choose freely and wouldn't be forced to do anything. 

Shaku took a deep breath. 

”Thank you. I think I'll need to think about all that.” 

”Take all the time you need,” Shamyrah said softly. 

Shaku nodded at Oni. 

”I think I understand what you meant when you said they are like a family.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was the introduction to my other Chiss agent Shaku (full name: Kres'hak'ufsa) and how he ended up in the Alliance - and in Shamyrah's family. There is always room for more Chiss sons after all. ^^


End file.
